THERE has been much talk of something called 'the Manchester United Way' during their traumatic past year. Louis Van Gaal may have heard of it. He may not.

Louis Van Gaal is set to be appointed the new Manchester United manager[GETTY]

One thing is for sure, however. When he takes charge at Old Trafford the only way things will be done will be the 'LVG Way'.

He does not need lessons in attacking football. He is Dutch, after all.

He will not require telling that wingers are important and that they have a special place at United because he has deployed a few of his own at various times including Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery and Luis Figo.

He does not need to be taught how to win the European Cup. He has done it. Or how to secure league titles which he has done six times in Holland, Spain and Germany. He does not have to worry about managing big names. He's had most of them under his command at one time or another.

He does not, in essence, need lessons in the Manchester United Way because he has his own style which has suited him very nicely so far. And that may explain why it is taking a little time to nail him down as the club's next boss. You sense that if the negotiations have got at all sticky, he has the upper hand here.

Ed Woodward, the United executive vice-chairman remains relaxed about that. And so he should. He is chasing the right man. After 26 years of Sir Alex Ferguson, it seems odd to be declaring that United's policy in appointing their next manager is one of: no more Mr Nice Guy.

It is certain that 62-year-old Van Gaal won't be coming here to make friends, though. Only to influence people, by sheer force of his spiky character, his strongly held beliefs, opinions and style, his verbal put-downs and his brusqueness, in all probability.

David Moyes was sacked due to poor results - although some have suggested he was too nice [GETTY]

In the intervening period, David Moyes behaved with grace and courtesy throughout even when things were going desperately wrong. Some even said that was part of the problem.

If so, it isn't going to be repeated under Van Gaal, whom Zlatan Ibrahimovic once described as: "A dictator without a sense of humour."

Karl Heinz Rumenigge, the grandee of Bayern Munich where Van Gaal reached the 2010 Champions League final added: "His management style doesn't win you many friends."

On that occasion, it didn't win him the European Cup, either. He was beaten in Madrid by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.

There was a fact about his team that night which has a significance for United's supporters, however. It included Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber, two hugely successful youth players whom Van Gaal had encouraged to make the break-through into the big-time.

At Ajax during the early Nineties - Van Gaal's team won the Champions League in 1995 - among the players who emerged were Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, the De Boer brothers and Edwin van der Sar.

If United now produce a replica crop of Fergie's Fledglings, it won't simply be because of some special Old Trafford magic. It will be because the new incoming manager has worked that trick before, too.

The purpose of pointing out all this is that many followers of United require reminding that their club is not so different from all the rest, after all.

Van Gaal has been diplomatic and agreed to have Ryan Giggs remain as his assistant manager [GETTY]

Many fell for that idea when there was a clamour to make Ryan Giggs the next manager. He had no experience of management or of any club outside of Old Trafford. So the notion was a misguided and soft-hearted one.

The same went for the belief that the remainder of the Class of 92 players could instantly form some form of red-blooded back-room team. Most of them have little experience, either.

When the instant rush of the 4-0 defeat of Norwich under Giggs had subsided, the season then fizzled out. It illustrated just how much the stadium had been wallowing in bewilderment and yearning for the past.

This week, too, Nemanja Vidic revealed that bickering in the dressing room had been as much the cause of the club's demise as a lack of empathy with Moyes among the players.

It proved further that United is just like everywhere else. Take away the strong leader, Fergie, and all the supposedly iron codes and principles which supported the team instantly fell apart.

Van Gaal may have Giggs as his number two. As a Dutchman, he knows when to be a shrewd politician as well as when to be forthright.

But it's surely going to be very much a case of Master and Apprentice. Again, so it should be. United need another strong-man now. LVG will be worth this extended wait.